Substack Live Podcast

Welcome to the Substack Writers at Work membership!

Today, we're talking about the 9 reasons people pay to subscribe on Substack. I give you clear steps on how to give people what they need.

This episode, "9 Reasons People Pay to Subscribe on Substack and How to Deliver," is for paid subscribers, so do become a member: www.writersatwork.net/about

Substack Writers at Work is your all-in-one membership for expert Substack strategies to build a platform and earn an income | A top-5 bestselling, Featured Substack | Brought to you by the leading Substack expert

9 Reasons People Pay to Subscribe on Substack and How to Deliver

00:13 The Importance of a Paid Strategy

00:35 Challenges Faced by Substack Writers

02:07 Steps to Making Money on Substack

02:43 Monetization Strategies

03:33 The Nine Things Subscribers Pay For

05:01 Understanding Subscriber Needs

11:39 Access and Community Building

14:44 Practical Exercises and Conclusion

If you’re struggling to grow your subscribers in the sea of Substacks…

Just know that you don’t need to be “great” writers to succeed. You don’t.

» All you need is a distinctive voice. Your voice.

This workshop is an opportunity to refine how you express your uniqueness, helping your writing resonate more deeply with your readers.

* Free subscribers, get ac…

Subscribe to Substack Writers at Work: www.writersatwork.net.

I’m so pleased to bring you my interview with Laurie Stone. She writes the literary Substack Everything Is Personal. In this conversation, we talk about how she grew her Substack so quickly—plus her writing process, her approach to “marketing,” Notes, publishing, the nature of narrative, and how she seduces the reader.

She also shares her checklist for writing posts and Notes that resonate with her readers:

* Start in the middle,

* fail to arrive,

* remember to love something,

* make the reader hot,

* make the reader laugh.

She was a longtime writer for the Village Voice (1974-1999), which comes up here. She’s also the author of six books, most recently Streaming Now, Postcards from the Thing that is Happening (Dottir Press, 2022), long listed for the PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay. She writes for The Paris Review, Evergreen Review, and Galerie. 

You can join her monthly Zoom conversations on writing craft by contacting her at [email protected]. 

Subscribe to Everything Is Personal here: https://lauriestone.substack.com/

Timestamps:

00:15 Laurie’s Substack success

02:14 Narrative techniques

04:39 Using Notes and social media

05:51 Teaching and workshops

09:41 Laurie’s writing process

17:37 Building a sustainable Substack

25:47 What’s next for Everything Is Personal

✦ Get the only expert guide to Substack to stop spinning in Substack confusion, overwhelm, and doubt ✦ Get the clarity and confidence you need to grow

Subscribe: https://www.writersatwork.net/subscribe

Why aren’t people subscribing to your Substack? 

Many reasons, of course. But at least partly because you may not be considering your readers and making your posts accessible, i.e., you aren't structuring them to draw people in and keep them reading. 

So how can you structure your Substack posts (while still retaining your artistic integrity), so they lead readers through your posts and convert?

That's what we talk about today.

00:08 Understanding Subscriber Retention

00:29 Case Study: Substack Writer's Dilemma

01:15 Structuring Your Substack Posts

01:44 Design Elements Overview

01:59 Deep Dive: Openings and Topic Sentences

02:55 Effective Use of Headings and Anchor Links

03:45 Word Repetition and Bullets

04:15 Hyperlinks and Bolding

05:47 Reading Patterns and Design Elements

07:17 F Pattern and Layer Cake Pattern

08:16 Spotted Pattern and Zigzag Pattern

08:54 Commitment Pattern and Final Tips

12:00 Images and Online Reading Patterns

13:24 Conclusion and Reader Engagement

✦ If you haven’t yet joined Substack Writers at Work, subscribe right here: https://www.writersatwork.net/about

❡ I’m thrilled to bring you this interview with Elle Griffin. Elle talks about building a following, defying traditional publishing, handling criticism, and staying creative. She also shares her advice for aspiring Substack writers.

Elle is something of a Substack icon. In 2022, she was awarded one of 10 places in Substack’s now-defunct Grow program, which launched her Substack into the stratosphere.

(The Grow program is similar to Substack’s current Creator Studio Program, which we talked about in the “Create Connection Using Substack Video Workshop.”)

Her dogged pursuit to bring back serialized novels made mainstream media take notice of Substack as a platform for fiction. Her Substack, The Elysian, has been featured in The New York Times, BBC, Business Insider, Fast Company, The Information, Publisher’s Weekly, Means of Creation, and Morning Brew.

She describes The Elysian as a kind of living newsletter salon:

“[A] utopian garden where we can study philosophy and debate politics and rethink capitalism and enjoy contemplative leisure and be part of a new enlightenment. It’s a place where we can think through a more beautiful future through essays and literature and discourse.”

Her TEDx talk “What if we release books episodically?” has garnered 25,000 views.

Enjoy this interview with Elle Griffin.

01:33 Elle's Journey to Substack

02:20 The Challenges of Traditional Publishing

05:04 Discovering Serialization on Substack

06:52 Building a Following and Promoting Work

09:04 Pivoting to New Projects

14:44 Handling Criticism and Staying Creative

17:34 Advice for Aspiring Substack Writers

If you haven’t yet joined Substack Writers at Work, subscribe right here ⤵

https://www.writersatwork.net/about

Be inspired by creators using Substack video in innovative ways. Find at least one way you might use video in your Substack. Get the most inexpensive, time-efficient way to produce video.

As you watch the replay, I want you to imagine how video might be a way to connect more deeply with your subscribers and yourself. If you’re already doing it, maybe go deeper.

Substack Writers, Sophia Efthimiatou, and Katie O'Connell. It was so fun to put this together and see the great video that’s out there, the types and genres video tends to fall into, and the many innovative ways Substackers new to video might use it in their own Substacks.

Workshop highlights:

1. Be inspired by creators using Substack video in innovative ways

* We go through the video artists chosen for Substack’s Creator Studio, and you get to choose your favorite:

* Jenny Gorelick, Night Out

* Kellerman, The F*ckin' News

* Coco Mocoe, Coco Mocoe

* Kit Lazer, Movies Are Therapy

* Gabi Jones, The Vintage Vault

* Miguel Peña, Build a Boy Workshop

* Patrick Hicks, Patrick Hicks Music Stories

* Justice Jackson, The Curl Diaries

* Jeauni Cassanova, With Love, Jeauni Cassanova

* God, The God Pod

2. Find at least one way you might use video in your Substack (or double down on how you’re using it)

- Talking/thought-wandering/touching base with your subscribers

* Patti Smith, Happily talking about nothing

* Marya Hornbacher, Riffs & Rants from the Road: Episode 10

- Workshops, co-working sessions, silent retreats, writing groups, etc.

* This video from Substack Writers at Work

- Memoir documentary

* Lynn Chen, Not So Perfect Pitch (from Taegan MacLean’s One Word)

- Responding to subscribers’ questions

* Priya Joi, The Art of Freelance

- Food and travel sensory stimulation

* Sunnyside Breakfasts and Desserts

- Introducing a written post

* Mary Joan Cunningham, “Fun Weekend Vibes: Inspiration from Awesome People”

- Video essays

* Taegan MacLean, One Word, Names, Nothing, Path

- Author reading (and essay)

* Marya Hornbacher, “Truckstop, Fireworks, Stories, Night (take 2)”

- Interview/conversation/podcast

* Evelyn Skye’s interview series

* Robert Reich’s Coffee Klatsch

3. Get the most inexpensive, time-efficient way to produce video

* A simple, inexpensive way to produce video that isn’t flashy or self-indulgent and expresses you. (I believe in zero-to-little overhead for your Substack.)

Important!

Such a fun strategy session!

In this Strategy Session:

00:09 Understanding Your Audience's Reading Habits

00:44 Checking Your Dashboard for Reader Insights

02:46 Adapting Content for Different Mediums

09:54 The Importance of Quality Content

11:42 Strategies for Writing Shorter, Impactful Posts

16:06 Editing Tips for Clarity and Engagement

31:53 Exploring Workarounds for Audio Posts

33:43 Setting Up a Podcast for Discoverability

36:01 Managing Paywalls and Free Content with Audio

40:47 Podcasting Tips and Best Practices

Write Less, Say More Challenge Workflow

DRAFTING STAGE

* Talk out your post to a friend or yourself.

* Write your post.

MACRO EDITING STAGE

* Write that one thing you want the reader to remember if it’s all they take away.

* Using that, cut anything that’s unnecessary. Of every paragraph ask, Does my reader really need to know this?

* Revise generalizations to make them specific.

MICRO EDITING

* Cut cliches

* Check it’s, this, that for antecedents

* Create two sentences for every sentence with and that has two ideas

* Fight for every adverb and adjective

Enjoy the replay!

All my best,

Sarah

P.S. We have an exclusive 24/7 Cohort-only chat to connect, ask questions, and publicize your latest posts! Find it here.

In this Strategy Session:

00:09 Understanding Your Audience's Reading Habits

00:44 Checking Your Dashboard for Reader Insights

02:46 Adapting Content for Different Mediums

09:54 The Importance of Quality Content

11:42 Strategies for Writing Shorter, Impactful Posts

16:06 Editing Tips for Clarity and Engagement

31:53 Exploring Workarounds for Audio Posts

33:43 Setting Up a Podcast for Discoverability

36:01 Managing Paywalls and Free Content with Audio

40:47 Podcasting Tips and Best Practices

To upgrade to listen on Apple, go to www.writersatwork.net/subscribe.

Be a Substack success story. Subscribe to Substack Writers at Work!

Today, Post Less Often, Please. How often should I post on Substack? 

It’s an age-old question that’s sent many a Substacker into spirals of doubt.

In today's episode:

00:00 Introduction to Substack Posting Frequency

00:43 The Six-Part Framework for Posting Frequency

01:43 Debunking Common Misconceptions

05:57 Respecting Your Subscribers' Inboxes

06:18 Be Your Own Publisher

06:50 Analyzing Substack Stats

07:27 Learning from The New Yorker

08:50 Personal Experience and Recommendations

10:55 Interactive Exercise for Subscribers

12:16 Conclusion and Gratitude

This is a free preview. To listen to the full amazing workshop, become a paid subscriber: www.writersatwork.net/subscribe

* We want devoted readers, listeners, viewers, and/or clients (depending on your category and what you do)—a.k.a. “superfans.” (Don’t love that term, but you get the idea.) But Substack doesn’t offer a clear path on how to find and keep them. You have to pave that road yourself, which is what this workshop will help you do.

Highlights:

* What and who are your devoted readers, a.k.a. “superfans”

* How to give them the highest quality writing even if you don’t think of yourself as a writer

* The 2 types of “great writing” on Substack

* How to pitch other Substacks to get your exceptional writing out into the world

To upgrade to listen on Apple, go to www.writersatwork.net/subscribe.

I’m absurdly excited to bring you my interview with Miller Coffey. Miller is a digital marketer who helps established authors start a Substack. He’s also incredibly genuine and real and smart and…I could go on. Miller is the president of the marketing firm Bellflower Media, a trans and queer-owned business that’s dedicated to equity and social justice.

We discuss everything from what every Substack should have to what he does for his clients to which social media platform writers should be on to branding and logos.